Esports Is Now As Popular As Football

Posted 18th March 2018 By: Derpina

Esports News – Electronic sports is now mainstream and its rising popularity gave birth to a community of gamers and gamblers from all over the world. The esports industry is obviously booming after its global revenue hit north of $650 million just last year, and many experts predicted that figures will grow to $765 million by 2018. As a result, it produces rich players, bettors, developers, and investors. If you’re a fan, you can expect major events and tournaments with massive prize pools left and right, across the United States, United Kingdom, China, Singapore, and Korea.

Just recently, a study about esports and football’s popularity was conducted by Washington Post-University of Massachusetts Lowell. The sample size is more than 500 American ages 14-21. Comparing the two sports, the study revealed that 40 percent of those teenagers and young adults are football enthusiasts, while the other 38 percent stated that they like esports. The small difference between the percentages is enough to declare that esports is as nearly popular as football, the most popular traditional sport in the world. Furthermore, esports can compete with the National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association’s (NBA) viewerships, excluding TV coverage.

“The popularity of esports and online gaming among American teens and young adults as both a recreational activity that you participate in or can also watch reveals a shifting landscape for what constitutes a sport in American life. It is absolutely telling that the fan base for esports is just as large as the fan base for professional football among Americans ages 14 to 21,” said Professor Joshua Dyck, writer and co-director of the poll done by the university. He then added that “the reasons teens and young adults give for participating in e-sports/online gaming mirror many of those given in our survey of adults 18 and older about why they watch live sports.”

Additionally, the research also states that the age group it has chosen actively participated in esports. The survey said that 59% of them have competed in a video game competition and/or played an online video game in the last 12 months. Another 58% revealed that they have watched Youtube and Twitch videos of people playing video games and top-rank esports matches. In terms of gender, 89% of male teens and young adults play and watch online video games, and have participated in tournaments; 56% females of the same age also participated in the same activities. The numbers don’t like and we can expect esports to further skyrocket in popularity in the years to come.